Springy

Plenty of singing going on this morning, not least from yellowhammers.

Chasing a three day-old report of firecrest at Segelstorpsstrand I headed out pretty close to dawn this morning. No sign of the 'crest but curlews were moving (111 north) and filled the air with their wild, abandoned song. Also a few barnacles through north too (44). Thrashed the bushes and conifers hoping for the crest but the best stuff was offshore with one summer-plumaged Slavonian grebe and 14 great crested grebes and four red-necked grebes. Had a quick look at Ranarpsstrand before home, fairly quiet here but a pair of shoveler and gadwall were nice. A big flock of resting oystercatcher (74) was present here though, the first of the second migratory wave of this species destined for northern Scandinavia no doubt. Offshore around Grytskären there was a female scaup and on one of the smaller rocks five purple sandpipers.

The team dropped me off at Klarningen just before lunch and I had a pleasant 4 hours here. Wildfowl included a single white-fronted goose, the usual five pintail, male garganey and four 'new-in' shoveler. A peregrine (2K female) shot through chasing a lapwing but failed to kill. A crane drifted over south. Waders had picked up again with at least five ringed plovers, a ruff (year-tick), nine green sandpipers and a single spotted redshank. Six swallows graced the airspace over the wetland. On the way home we drove over the top and took in Lya ljunghed, flushing a great grey shrike from the roadside as we went. Nice one and probably the last of the season?